Quiet Firing: Signs It's Happening and How To Avoid It

Managers and supervisors should be communicative and engaged with employees, but unfortunately, that's not always the case. In extreme instances, their actions (deliberate or otherwise) may gradually lead an employee to voluntarily leave an organization — a non-confrontational tactic known as “quiet firing.” Unlike traditional terminations, quiet firing (sometimes called “silent firing”) operates under the radar. It happens when employees quit because of a hostile, ambiguous, or mismanaged workplace, whether or not management intended these employees to quit.

This article delves into the intricacies of quiet firing: what it is, signs that it may be happening, its underlying causes and effects on employees and organizations, and ways to prevent and address it. Why should employers be on the lookout for quiet firing practices? Engaging in so-called quiet firing is not simply risky. It could constitute illegal acts, resulting in allegations of constructive discharge (more on this below) or even discrimination claims.

What Is Quiet Firing?

Quiet firing in the workplace refers to the eventual resignation of an employee due to management’s creation of a poor work environment. In this way, “quiet firing” is something of a misnomer: It does not actually refer to firing an employee at all. Instead, employees may feel pushed into situations that cause them to dislike their jobs, feel alienated from their work, or underperform, leading them to quit or resign.

Quiet firing may be considered an example of constructive discharge, which, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, “is when a worker's resignation or retirement may be found not to be voluntary because the employer has created a hostile or intolerable work environment or has applied other forms of pressure or coercion which forced the employee to quit or resign.” Constructive discharge may be illegal if it violates labor law, which varies from state to state.

Examples of quiet firing may include:

• Giving an employee fewer and fewer responsibilities over time
• Excluding an employee from key meetings and projects
• Giving an employee less desirable duties
• Having an employee report to an office that is further away
• Providing other subtle hints that an employee’s presence is no longer valued

Consider how the above examples may or may not result in constructive discharge: They may happen to any employee, at any time, in any workplace, whether or not they’re part of a calculated effort that pushes an employee to voluntarily leave.

In the case of a deliberate and calculated move by a manager, quiet firing can be characterized as a passive approach that aims to avoid the confrontation associated with traditional termination methods. However, the temporary discomfort of actively terminating an employee might be nothing compared to the potential monetary, moral, and even legal repercussions of quietly firing them.

Quiet Firing vs. Quiet Quitting

While there are some similarities between quiet firing and quiet quitting, each stems from different intentions and power dynamics. Quiet quitting occurs when an employee disengages from and does the bare minimum required for their role, gradually reducing their efforts until they ultimately leave or are terminated. On the other hand, quiet firing may be orchestrated by the employer or a manager, typically dwindling an employee's role and pushing them toward resignation or termination without overtly acknowledging the issue.

Both quiet firing and quiet quitting may result from communication breakdowns between employees and their employer or supervisor, and both can have damaging effects on all parties involved.

8 Signs of Quiet Firing

Identifying quiet firing signs is crucial for employers to help prevent it from happening — or address it head-on if it is. While often subtle and easy to doubt or overlook, some red flags help you know whether quiet firing is occurring at your business.

Lack of Promotions or Career Advancement Opportunities

When employees are unclear about the steps needed to reach various career milestones, they can feel anxious, isolated, and lost. When managers purposefully or unintentionally withhold promotions or opportunities, employees may have no clarity about their next professional steps and may be uncertain about whether a fulfilling route exists for their future at the business.

Denied Raises, Bonuses, or Other Financial Benefits

Bonuses and raises can play dual roles — they may keep employees happy and encourage the most qualified employees to stay loyal to the business. When a manager or employer withholds financial benefits such as these (for example, by denying requests for raises or falsely promising one in the future), it could be a covert strategy to get employees to look elsewhere for another job.

Micromanagement, Mundane Work, or Reduced Responsibilities

Quiet firers may add extra steps to employees' workloads to scrutinize or micromanage them.

Additionally, managers may push workers to spend a disproportionate amount of time on administrative or unnecessary tasks, taking focus away from other responsibilities. This can signal to employees that their manager lacks trust or confidence in their abilities. Not every project or task will be an employee's favorite. Still, a pattern of not being assigned new work or projects, being given uninteresting tasks, or having existing responsibilities gradually reassigned to others may all indicate that quiet firing is happening.

Taking away duties that the employee has been vocal about enjoying or taking an employee off projects without justification could demoralize and demotivate a worker and be signs of quiet firing.

Overly Critical — or Lack of — Feedback or Recognition

Employees not only want to feel respected and valued for their contributions, but they also want to understand how well they're performing at their jobs. Minimal or no feedback on performance, coupled with decreased recognition or praise for achievements, can make employees feel slighted or overlooked. Alternatively, managers may be overly critical of employees' work, perhaps for no apparent reason. Managers leaving workers in the dark or overly scrutinizing them can be a sign of quiet firing.

Isolation or Exclusion from the Team

Excluding, isolating, or ostracizing an employee can cause damaging effects. This could take shape in many ways:

• Being left out of important meetings, discussions, or projects in which the employee was previously involved
• Excluding them from social events or group team-building activities
• Frequently assigning the employee solo work
• Moving an employee to a different work location when the rest of the team works at another
• Assigning the employee shifts where there's minimal interaction with the rest of the team

No Support from Management

Lack of support from management can be a primary catalyst of quiet firing. This could mean that managers:

• Don't share information or resources with the employee
• Withhold encouragement and make no effort to motivate the employee
• Fail to help an employee experiencing a challenge
• Don't advocate for the employee who experiences scrutiny or pushback from other team members

Unrealistic Workload and Timelines

Another indicator of firing quietly could be giving employees more work than they can complete within working hours, especially if a manager waits until the end of the day to assign the work. Management may even vary workloads from week to week so that hours fluctuate dramatically, and employees have trouble keeping up.

Why Does Quiet Firing Happen?

Quiet firing can stem from poor management, organizational restructuring, performance issues, or conflicts that management looks to resolve without applying formal discipline or termination procedures. Sometimes, it may also be driven by personal biases or favoritism.

The following reasons can help explain some of the effects of an unsatisfactory work environment, whether intentionally put into place or not, that may drive an employee to voluntarily quit:

Communication Barriers

An employee-manager relationship that doesn't prioritize open, honest, and constructive communication is bound to be rocky. And with the rise of hybrid and remote work, achieving transparency can be even more difficult. Here's what can happen when there are communication barriers:

• A manager or supervisor can isolate themselves from their teams, thereby alienating their employees
• Managers may not have the awareness they need to appropriately address employee performance issues, which can worsen over time
• Overall team morale can plummet in an environment where no open discussion takes place or there's a perception of information being withheld
• The quality of the culture can decline which can lead to a drop in productivity and increased employee turnover
• Employees who are blocked by an operational issue or obstacle may not be as productive as they could be

Unwillingness to Follow Proper Employee Termination Protocol

Firing an employee can be difficult for everyone involved. It is often a complex and emotional process, there are direct and indirect costs to firing an employee, and employment law compliance risks to consider. With that in mind, unwise managers or employers may think they can bypass protocol to keep things simple.

Some managers may even quiet fire to avoid paying out severance or unemployment, hoping a disgruntled employee will leave on their own. They may also think this tactic is a way to delay recruiting costs.

Lack of Belief in Employee Potential

While every employee has unique ways in which they need to feel supported at work, the reality of being a manager is that some employees will perform better than others. Managers who don't see an employee's potential or have a good understanding of what their direct reports each need to succeed may unwisely stop investing time or energy into that relationship.

Conflict-Avoidant Management and Mismanagement

Part of a supervisor's job is to help employees through challenges, communicate any issues head-on, and prepare multiple solutions when possible. Managers who don't possess the skills to have difficult conversations at work or don't want to are allowing issues to linger and grow, which may result in employee disengagement, increased stress, missed deadlines, and a lack of productivity.

Quiet firing is also sometimes a result of a manager's unintentional oversight. Supervisors may feel overwhelmed, inexperienced, or unorganized as they juggle their work and managerial duties. Managers may also neglect to communicate significant business decisions to their teams, such as a pause on raises or bonuses.

Unmotivated Managers

Like conflict avoidance, managers may not want to or feel motivated to have tough conversations with employees. They don't want to risk the potential of dealing with an employee's reaction. As a result, managers may stop putting in effort and allow the employees' frustrations to reach a breaking point on their own.

Effects of Quiet Firing

The effects of quiet firing can extend beyond the targeted individual and impact the entire business. For the employee, it can lead to insecurity, stress, and a decline in morale and productivity. Witnessing coworkers being quietly fired can erode trust in leadership and create a culture of fear or uncertainty among remaining staff. For employers, there may be damaging effects on the business's reputation, a dip in morale and productivity among remaining staff, and challenges to employee retention benchmarks and goals. Furthermore, if an employee is being treated differently or otherwise subject to quiet firing-related behaviors, it could lead to claims of violating antidiscrimination or other employment-related laws.

How To Address Quiet Firing

Preventing and addressing quiet firing requires proactive measures from employers and management. The following are some ways to avoid quiet firing at your business.

Encourage Open Communication

Open and honest feedback can help managers understand how to foster positive relationships with their team members. When a manager is open to an employee's constructive criticism and collaborates with them to outline the next steps, that team member is more likely to feel respected and heard. Encourage transparent communication between employees and management to address concerns, provide feedback, and clarify expectations.

Conduct Regular Performance Reviews

Conducting regular performance evaluations is an effective way to provide constructive feedback and identify areas for improvement before they escalate. They're also crucial to relationship-building, motivation, and performance enhancement. Take time to set up a formal performance review process to help get the best out of all your employees.

Promote an Open and Transparent Work Environment

Many factors may contribute to a negative work environment, but one thing is certain: Employees cannot perform at their best in a toxic work environment. Make it a priority to foster a supportive and inclusive work environment where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to voice their ideas or concerns without fear of retaliation. And when it comes to company transparency, sharing information can lead to a stronger, more cohesive team, facilitate goal setting, and flatten the company hierarchy.

Conduct Regular Manager Assessments and Training

Even well-intentioned managers can fall short. They may be uncomfortable having an honest discussion about an employee's performance, feel stretched thin as they juggle their work, or not have the resources to meet employee expectations. Offer training and learning opportunities to help managers take responsibility for their development, with options to learn techniques and strategies that enhance their overall work quality.

“A ‘360 review’ or ‘skip level review’ is a great way to allow employees to provide feedback on what is occurring with their manager. This is when a higher-level manager or another manager meets with an employee for feedback on their manager’s performance, and can provide insights to the relationship,” says Heather Whitney, HRRT Program Manager at Paychex. Stay interviews are also excellent ways to boost employee retention.

Implement Exit Interviews

Information gleaned from departing employees can shed light on processes, managers, or workloads that may have been festering for a while. Encourage an open and honest conversation in exit interviews and use these findings to help illuminate areas in the business that may need improvement.

Enable Multiple Career Paths, Including Lateral Transfers

Employees may want to know they will gain the experience needed to advance in their careers, regardless of how many years they may work for an employer. This is where career pathing can be beneficial since it outlines an individual's possible roles at a company or throughout their career. A career path gives them a roadmap and access to the tools necessary to remain good contributors to the company — whether it's promotions, lateral moves, or departmental transfers.

Recognize Employee Achievements

When employees are unhappy about their working conditions or feel their contributions don't matter, they're more likely to feel frustrated. Recognizing employees for their hard work can motivate and inspire them. Employee recognition can help curb wasted resources and increase business productivity by helping employees feel supported and noticed.

Emphasize Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence and the ability to understand and empathize with others go hand-in-hand. Managers who can have emotionally intelligent conversations with their direct reports, where employees feel heard and appreciated, are more likely to foster positive work relationships.

Implement a Progressive Discipline Policy

Sometimes, despite your best efforts to coach and support employees, situations reach the point where unacceptable behaviors or deficient performance warrant disciplinary action. Employers use progressive discipline to manage employee behavior, performance issues, and violations of company policy. Progressive discipline aims to change behavior by communicating with employees about a problem and discussing improvement opportunities. It also helps businesses to address these unfortunate situations at each step instead of letting them fester or "work themselves out."

Keeping Managers and Employees Engaged Is Key

Quiet firing poses significant risks to both employees and organizations, potentially undermining trust, morale, and productivity throughout the workplace, and potentially opening your business up to legal risk. It's also a trend that your managers and supervisors should avoid taking part in at all costs.

Get HR assistance to help ensure your managers are well-trained, prepared to have open and honest conversations with their direct reports, and motivated to help develop and support their team.